Sharp Questioning of HHS Secretary Azar on Trump Mishandling of Coronavirus
***Press Release***
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2020 | Contact: Kate Stotesbery 202-225-4865 |
Sharp Questioning of HHS Secretary Azar on Trump Mishandling of Coronavirus
Washington, D.C. – This morning, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Chair of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, sharply questioned President Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar about the Administration's mishandling of coronavirus. You can watch his remarks here or below. Rep. Doggett added, "The inept Administration response, indifferent to the leading expert, is endangering the lives of American families." He noted: (1) The key truthteller has been excluded, (2) The Administration has failed on both lab testing and stockpiling an adequate supply of protective gear, while the Commerce Department promotes export of same gear, and (3) Significant costs are being imposed on localities, like San Antonio, Texas, with no assurance of reimbursement.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, CDC Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, was excluded from the Trump press conference. Rep. Doggett called Dr. Messonnier "the respiratory disease specialist, who is the truthteller—not unlike Dr. Li [Wenliang] in Wuhan." Apparently drawing Trump's ire, Dr. Messonnier had said, "We expect we will see community spread in this country…It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness." Secretary Azar declined to answer directly on whether he agreed with her, only replying with bureaucratic doubletalk.
Rep. Doggett continued: "[Community spread] could have begun yesterday… The question is whether or not the Administration is moving based on this serious concern—or just on putting a happy face on all this, that it will all go away when the spring flowers come out."
When Rep. Doggett questioned about the shortage of N95 masks for medical professionals, given that many hospitals only had a week supply, Azar said: "We're asking you to fund us buying masks," underscoring the current lack of Administration preparedness. Yesterday, the Commerce Department instructed its officers to encourage U.S. businesses to export their medical supplies, including masks, to China and Hong Kong, seemingly conflicting with HHS's admission today that it currently lacks enough masks.
Rep. Doggett also pressed him about the delay in handling coronavirus tests for quarantined passengers at San Antonio's Lackland Air Force Base, the lack of local reimbursement for San Antonio's expenses incurred, and the ineptness of the Administration's preparations for a broader outbreak.
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